BYOB: Bring Your Own Bag

Spencer, one of our marine educators, always brings her reusable bags when she goes to the grocery store.

At Sanibel Sea School, we're big fans of reusable shopping bags, so we're excited about the upcoming Bring Your Own Bag initiative hosted by Solutions to Avoid Red Tide (also known as START), a fellow island conservation organization we sometimes partner with on ocean-related projects.

On November 25th, START will work with island grocery stores to launch BYOB by handing out reusable shopping bags to visitors and locals when they shop. The bags come printed with some surprising facts about disposable plastic bags and how they impact our oceans and wildlife. “We think it’s the perfect one-step approach to educate people and give them the tools they need to help clean up the environment,” says START Coordinator Ben Biery, “We invite everyone to come out, pick up a bag, get educated, and get green.”

The goal is for thousands of reusable bags to eventually be distributed by shops, accommodations, and organizations on Sanibel. This will lead to less disposable plastic on our beaches and in our seas.

Sanibel Sea School staff members will definitely be participating in the event, and we hope you will too. Remember to bring your reusable bags with you when you shop - our wildlife will thank you!